Shawdesh desk:

At least 30 journalists were kept confined briefly after they had taken photos of a clash between activists of the ruling Awami League and its student wing Bangladesh Chhatra League in Barishal on Wednesday night.

The confined journalists were freed following interventions by senior leaders.

The clash broke out between two factions of AL and BCL after a meeting of public representatives of Sadar upazila with Awami League candidate Abul Khair Abdullah Khokon Serniabat regarding Barishal City Corporation election on Wednesday night.

The incident happened at the residence of Juba League joint convener Mahmudul Haque Khan Mamun.

According to eyewitnesses, followers of Khokon Serniabat, Awami League leader Shahidul Islam and District Chhatra League vice-president Zobayer Abdullah Jinnah got involved in a dispute over the distribution of packets and giving speeches after the opinion exchange meeting of the AL-backed mayoral candidate.

Then, there was a scuffle between the two groups, they said.

The 30 journalists were confined by supporters of Shahidul and Jinnah, when they went there to take photos of the clash, they said and added that the situation calmed down with the intervention of senior leaders.

Azim Sharif, cameraperson of Asian Television, said, ‘BCL activists hit our cameras when we went to film the scuffle. We also had a fight over this. At one point, about 30 to 35 of my colleagues, including I, were locked in a room. Later, senior leaders of Awami League came and freed us.’

These two groups have done such things to embarrass the candidate of the boat, said AL leaders.

Jubair Abdullah Jinnah, vice-president of the district Chhatra League, said, ‘The conversation was over trivial issues and nothing else.’

Mahmudul Haque Khan Mamun, joint convener of the city unit of Juba League, said that there was a problem over trivial issues. ‘The matter was later settled.’